Misnomer of the day: Philadelphia’s Satellite Coffeeshop (aka Planet Whiteness)
Hayley Richardson | Sat, Nov 10th, 2007 | Category: Commentary | Tags: hayley richardson, west philly, planet whiteness, satellite cafe, baltimore avenue, heart of darkness
Satellite: noun.
1. Astronomy. a natural body that revolves around a planet; a moon.
3. Something, as a branch office or an off-campus facility of a university, that depends on, accompanies, or serves something else.
Taking the 34 trolley east down Baltimore Avenue is quite a jarring experience. After blocks and blocks of rundown houses and superfluous shops, you’re suddenly re-introduced to white people, and chances are, they’re wearing huge sunglasses. In the seconds that pass between 52nd and 51st, the trolley becomes inundated with nearly-identical permutations of faded jeans and unraveling sweatshirts. And to your right, you’ll see the Satellite Cafe. Beckoning.
Cheap eats, exposed piping, ample space to hang your band’s flyers. Benign, right? I mean, who doesn’t need an everything bagel and happy-farmer java to complete their mornings?
It’s when you substitute “planet whiteness” for [unnamed astronomical body], then it begins to seem a bit more problematic. I just don’t know how a place can purport to be “of the neighborhood” with a name like that. What’s next, “The Heart Of Darkness Pub?”
Thoughts?
Steve
Sat, Nov 10, 2007 at 6:16pm
I’m new here (and unfamiliar with Phila), but one could argue that coffee shops-as-gentrifiers are a specialty of mine.
However, I’m having trouble finding any actual argument here. I want to understand you’re critique, but all I learn is that as the train enters this (gentrifying/ied?) neighborhood, ”the trolley becomes inundated with nearly-identical permutations of faded jeans and unraveling sweatshirts.”
I presume these jeans and sweatshirts are worn predominantly by white people. (Entirely?)
And they are coming from Satellite Coffee Shop? Is the cafe the only white/not-"superfluous" establishment in the area? (What qualifies as a “superfluous” establishment?) Or is this a whole new district, of which Satellite Coffee Shop is typical?
You seem to be particularly stuck on the name, “Satellite.” Frankly, I have no idea where this comment comes from: It’s when you substitute “planet whiteness” for [unnamed astronomical body], then it begins to seem a bit more problematic. Has someone literally called it “planet whiteness,” or are you doing so for rhetorical effect?
(I really do want to unpack and understand what your critique is here; I think this is a fascinatingly complex post)
So, “planet whiteness,” can you explain that? Labeling the cafe as such doesn’t give even a bit of validity to the claim, of course, so can you talk more about where that label comes from? And what is the issue with the name “Satellite”? That last paragraph is deeply vexing in its apparent groundlessness, but I’m eager to hear your explanation.
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Steve
Sat, Nov 10, 2007 at 6:27pm
To summarize all that quoting/rambling in one line: it would also be problematic if someone were to decide to call the cafe “Gitmo,” or “We Hate Queers,” as you have hypothetically dubbed it “Satellite of Planet Whiteness,” but that has nothing to do with the fact of the cafe and issues of economic access, race, place, or development that it may bring up. And you don’t speak to any of those issues. Please elaborate.
It’s at least a little ironic that you work at a place (according to an intro post) called White Dog Cafe, right? A little? Can we have a good-nature chuckle at that?
Thanks in advance for your thoughtful reply.
rjwhite
Sun, Nov 11, 2007 at 12:47pm
Really?
“Planet whiteness.”
Really?
Hayley Richardson
Mon, Nov 12, 2007 at 3:51am
Steve-
My favorite gentrification storiy was relayed to me by a friend named Andy Shallal, who has become somewhat of a celebrity in DC for his revolutionary “Busboys and Poets” concept; a restaurant/performance space/radical bookstore that he opened in the U St. corridor of DC in 2006. .
The neighborhood hadn’t been occupied by white people since the riots of 1968, but with rents rising in all other areas of the city, and a resurgence in the desire for “diversity,” the area became the new hotspot, and gentrification has been on everyone’s lips ever since.
As he was preparing to open Busboys and Poets, Andy put a sign in the window that said “black people welcome,” While I think he meant it as a moment of levity, he genuinely wondered whether long-term residents would know that this place was for them too if he didn’t make it resoundingly clear.
I tell this story because I think businesses that are a part of the gentrification process have a responsibility; responsibility to ensure that they address a neighborhood’s needs. and a responsibility to seem inclusive. The term “Planet Whiteness” is my own, and clearly there’s nothing stopping people of color from enjoying the seductive delights of the Satellite Cafe. But I am conscious of naming, and who gets targeted/left out in this process. How can you not hear the name “Satellite” without thinking, Satellite of what?
And I would laugh about the White Dog’s name if the restaurant wasn’t doing so very many things to create a economically just, sustainable community. Even cynical me is impressed.
tmchale
Sat, Dec 22, 2007 at 1:12am
I don’t know, I think the Baltimore Avenue corridor is one of Philadelphia’s more integrated transitions from black ghetto to white people land.